The St Alyes Skiff World Championship, SkiffieWorlds, is to return to Stranraer from 6th to 12th July 2025, organised by Stranraer Water Sports Association (SWSA).
Confirmation of the selection of the town in southwest Scotland was announced today by the Scottish and International Coastal Rowing Committees.
SkiffieWorlds, which takes place every three years, was previously held in Stranraer in 2019. The event was considered hugely successful with participants praising the smooth running of the championships as well as the onshore services and calm water of Loch Ryan.
Announcing the award of SkiffieWorlds 2025 to Stranraer, Scottish Coastal Rowing Association and St Ayles Skiff International commented:
“Stranraer Water Sports Association hosted SkiffieWorlds 2019 which was a very successful and enjoyable event.
“Stranraer’s combination of sheltered water close to a long beach and all the town’s amenities, a comprehensive programme of shore events, and a warm and genuine welcome from local people, made the event very memorable. Skiff rowers have been asking if we are going back to Stranraer ever since.
“Stranraer Water Sports Association have put together a strong bid to host the July 2025 event, with many improvements in progress and planned. St Ayles Skiff International thanks the other communities who considered hosting the event, and is delighted to announce a return to Stranraer for SkiffieWorlds 2025.”
SkiffieWorlds 2019 involved 2710 competitive participants, with teams travelling from as far as Australia, South Africa, Canada, Tasmania, the USA and mainland Europe to take part. Around 30,000 people are thought to have attended the week-long event including HRH The Princess Royal, and an independent economic impact report concluded that the net additional economic impact of SkiffieWorlds to the local area was between £3.5 million and £4.0 million.
The event is set to make use of a new and improved facilities on Loch Ryan, including a Water Sports Hub next to the waterfront due to open in May 2025. The SWSA project will also deliver on-water improvements and facilities, permanent skiff racing lanes and on-shore viewing platforms.
Wendi Cuffe of Stranraer Water Sports Association, who managed the bid, said:
“We are absolutely thrilled that Stranraer has been awarded SkiffieWorlds 2025, and we look forward to welcoming thousands of competitors, from all over the world, to Stranraer for this major event.
“St Ayles Skiff racing was invented in Scotland 10 years ago and the sport is now one of the fastest growing water sports in the world. One of the reasons why the sport is such a great fit with Stranraer is its focus on community building, as well as boat building.
“We are seeing Stranraer flourish as a major events and water sports destination, and hosting SkiffieWorlds 2025 will give our community the opportunity to do what we do best – deliver the warmest of welcomes to people visiting our beautiful corner of Scotland.
“We have 18 months of hard work and event planning ahead of us, but we are thoroughly looking forward to working with other community groups and organisations to make the most of this major event for Stranraer.”
